In drug stores, convenience stores, grocery stores or other retailers selling small quantities of non-prescription drugs, a display device is usually used to sell one or two packets of a pain reliever, for example. Small quantities of other medicines or bandages, for example, may be displayed by the display device.
An example of one such display device is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In these figures, a display package 10 is supported on a support rod 11. The support rod 11 is mounted on a support or peg board 14. The support includes a plurality of holes 16 through which the rod extends to support a plurality of display packages 10.
As shown in side view in FIG. 2, the display package 10 includes an upper portion 12 and a lower portion 14. The lower portion is secured to the upper portion 12 along a lowermost edge 16. The edge 16 may be a fold line or a perforation line to facilitate the folding of the bottom portion 14 onto the upper portion 12 along a lower portion 18 of the upper portion by movement of portion 14 in a direction of arrow 20. The lower portion 14 includes a tab 22 which is inserted into and secured within upper portion 12 so that the lower portion 14 overlies the lower portion 18 of upper portion 12.
As shown in FIG. 1, tab 22 is intended to fit within a semi-circular shaped opening 24 located in upper portion 12. Semi-circular shaped opening 24 is a perforated score line extending from straight segments of perforated or score line 26. The tab 22 is intended to fit within and be held in a recess formed when semi-circular perforation 24 and straight line perforation 26 are pushed into an interior of the transparent blister pack 28 which holds medicine, etc. on the front of upper portion 12 of the display package 10.
It has been found that, over time, the lower portion 14, due to gravity and the bias forces formed at fold line 16, is forced to separate and move away from the upper portion 12 of the display package 10. Therefore, over time, as shown in FIG. 1, the bottom portions 14 form a V-shape with the upper portions 12 and move away from the upper portion 12 in a direction opposite to that of arrow 20.
The separation of the lower portion 14 from the upper portion 12 serves to space out the plurality of display packages 10 along the support rod 11, thereby limiting the amount of product which can be hung on support rod 11. This is particularly true as product is removed from support rod 11. A decreased amount of product on the hang rod allows the lower portion 14 to push off against the next successive display package 10 and force the plurality of display packages to travel forward along the support rod 11. This is caused by the natural tendency of the lower portions 14 to separate from the upper portions 12.
With the products moving forward along the support rod 11, an appearance is provided to a store clerk that the support rod 11 is full without the store clerk appreciating that their inventory has dwindled and that it is necessary to reorder additional product. Therefore, when the few remaining products on the support rod 11 are sold, the depletion of inventory would come as a surprise to the store clerk and result in a lag time prior to restocking and making product again available to the customer for purchase.
Accordingly, there is a need to maintain an accurate assessment of the quantity of inventory hung on a display rod while maximizing available storage on a display rod.
In addition, the single hanging hole 30 of the display package 10 provides for limited strength in securing display packages on the support rod 11. Once the single hanging hole 30 is torn by prospective customers removing, examining and returning product to the support rod, special care is required by the store clerk to resupport the display package on the support rod 11.
Accordingly, there is a need to reinforce display packages hanging on a support rod.